How about a fractal light ?

Other than perhaps a UI revamp, I just don't see the benefit of Fractal making another unit, that wouldn't just pull a prospective customer from buying one of the other units. If it's not going to draw a customer that otherwise wouldn't buy one of the other units, which I don't see happening on a large enough scale, it's most likely not in Fractal's best interest.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I’d say he’s not all about the money. If he was he wouldn’t be rolling out firmware updates that make the unit more capable for free.
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That's one way of looking at it. But a savvy businessperson knows that all those regular, free updates also spurs people on to considering a Fractal product, when they decide they want a modeler.
 
Rick said:
At some point, it ceases to be an advantage. Although a “one button, download what you want into it” pedal might be useful to some, I don’t see where it would be better than just using the real thing. I understand the “but, Rick, you can change it” point, though I’m of the opinion that it wouldn’t get a very good return on the investment it would take to make it marketable. Again, just one man’s opinion.

They are in a pretty sweet spot with what they have… FM3 for the minimalist, FM9 for the traveling gigster needing more switch options, and the world-is-your-oyster Axe Fx III. Spreading themselves thinner, especially in the bargain-box direction, wouldn’t be my vote.
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Agreed, but it would be nice to have something from Fractal the size of an Atomic AFB, even if it was just for backup

I keep an AFB2 in my gigbag for emergencies and used in in a rehearsal the other week and was so disappointed after just using my Fractals
 
TSJMajesty said:
That's one way of looking at it. But a savvy businessperson knows that all those regular, free updates also spurs people on to considering a Fractal product, when they decide they want a modeler.
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But that’s not being all about the money which would be all-consuming and single-minded greed, it’s just smart marketing. Sure, there’s money involved, but it’s not the only thing that they care about.

That expenditure for development, while it costs money for the time and effort and doesn’t recoup it through paid upgrades, makes up for the expense with our good will, which translates to repeat sales and word of mouth advertising, so it is justified. Companies can’t directly purchase that good will, they have to earn it and keep it. Fractal isn’t in stores and doesn’t have a major advertising budget so they use our satisfaction of our purchase to help sell. It basically allows them to use their profits more efficiently.

“Case Study: Building Product, Community, and, Sustainability at Fractal Audio Systems” and Matt’s post in “How can I help” speak to this.
 
jdel77 said:
Who says they wouldn't?
Don't you like money?
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If they were just money makers, instead of giving us all these amazing firmware updates for free, by now we would probably be at the Axe-FX VI or Axe-FX VII hardware release with a meticulously planned obsolescence.
 
unix-guy said:
In the 10+ years I've been using Fractal gear and interacting with them here, I don't get the impression that Cliff is just chasing money...
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Piing said:
If they were just money makers, instead of giving us all these amazing firmware updates for free, by now we would probably be at the Axe-FX VI or Axe-FX VII hardware release with a meticulously planned obsolescence.
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Guys.
I never said Cliff’s priority was money.
My point is that there is a market for a mini Fractal the size of a Stomp. Every man and his dog has a board with a Stomp on it.

The FM3 is too big for me.
When you look at FlyRigs and Stomps and Cores and then Fractal’s smallest product is the size of a dinner plate, it’s mental. I don’t know anyone who runs an FM3 who hasn’t just said fuck it, I’ll buy the FM9.

I absolutely LOVE my FM9 Turbo but I want a smaller backup I can chuck in my guitar case which does a handful of amp tones, a handful of cabs and a handful of FX. Use it in case my FM9 dies (unlikely, fingers crossed) or for fly gigs/jams + demo/recording sessions.

Vintage American 6V6 Clean + Crunch
Vintage Brit EL84 Chime Clean + Crunch
Vintage Brit EL34 Rock Rhy + Lead
80’s Marshall EL34 Mod Rhy + Lead
90’s RectSLO 6550 Rhy + Lead
2000’s EuroMetal KT77 Rhy + Lead
Vintage/Modern Bass

1x10 Alnico
2x12 Alnico
4x12 Greenback
4x12 V30
1x12 EV
4x10 Bass

SM58
Ribbon mic
Room Condenser

2290/Memory Man Delay
Phaser/Flanger
Tubescreamer/Rat
Fuzz Face/Muff
Octave/Envelope Filter
Reverb/Comp

Keep it simple and the rest can stay in the Editor for the FM9.
Have a simple app you can run on your phone connected via Bluetooth.

That’s all most guitarists want in a small 3 button unit.
Simple. Bulletproof. Sounds bullshit good.
 
If anything I'd also want an FM0 with the processing power of an FM9t for example (for dual amps/cabs), something that matches the FM3 footprint with no footswitches (I use an external midi controller for everything anyway) that would be incredible

but i can't see it happening, the FM3/9/FX3 tick all the boxes/requirements that people usually need, i choose fractal for the amount of options on tap/outputs etc.., it's a pro level piece of gear for a reason

i understand the desire for a worst case scenario/backup unit, but a lot of people can't justify the cost of a backup fractal unit and the market for small modellers is already quite saturated
 
I think the thing that scares a lot of people off from fractal is, the learning curve - a simple small plug and go unit would be great. The only thing people rag about on fractal is how complicated it is - I love fractal and all the adjustments that are available but, a simple small unit ( smaller then the fm3 ) would be a great entry level way to get into fractal and could be used as a back up or main unit for many of us IMHO
 
What if Fractal offered a line of pedal board sized pedals that were named "Fractal Blocks" which would be available in stores.
I think the key would be that they must have MIDI IN/Out, Stereo IN/Out along with Digital IN/Out, something that could make all the other manufacturers have to start implementing or wish they did. It could start a revolution of the "Professional" pedal board where there is only one AD to DA conversion on your signal chain.
For instance:
They could be named " FAS XXX Block".
The FAS AMP Block
The FAS CAB Block
The FAS MOD Block
The FAS REV Block
The FAS DLY Block
Obviously, these would all be trimmed down a bit from the actual Fractal blocks on the AF3 but enough meat on the bone to attract users to the real deal.

Maybe even offer a Fractal Digital Pedal Board: It would be a pedal board that has a Best in the Business built in AD/DA converters to be used with Digital capable pedals. Maybe it might come with a built in "Gate" and "WAH" block. Maybe it would also contain a few "Digital Loops" and could be controlled via the FC-X controllers or via MIDI.
 
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Jamme1961 said:
I think the thing that scares a lot of people off from fractal is, the learning curve - a simple small plug and go unit would be great. The only thing people rag about on fractal is how complicated it is - I love fractal and all the adjustments that are available but, a simple small unit ( smaller then the fm3 ) would be a great entry level way to get into fractal and could be used as a back up or main unit for many of us IMHO
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Spot on.
The perceived learning curve is the #1 reason people don’t buy Fractal. Most dudes don’t go beyond the top menu layer.

Entry level 3 button device with 6 or 7 amps, 6 or 7 cabs, 6 or 7 FX.
2 or 3 mics.
Plug in and go.

Basic EQ. Basic FX parameters. No mic movement, just one sweet spot for each.

The majority of guitarists who walk into the studio are simply not interested in outboard rack gear, or all the little buttons on the mixing desk or Pro Tools or plug ins or the tape machine or microphones. They simply don’t care.
With a modeller they use presets and if they don’t like the sound, they don’t tweak, they just click onto the next preset.

Fractal stuff is insanely good, but it’s not made for guitarists. You need to know your studio shit and have your engineer hat on, or be prepared to invest the time and learn. That’s a deal breaker for a lot of guys who get maybe a couple hours a week to jam at home, rehearse with their cover band maybe once a month and maybe do a covers gig every 6 to 8 weeks. If they’re lucky.
 
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Rex said:
Please, no subscription-based anything. I don’t want to have to keep feeding the meter in order to keep playing my guitar.
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That's not how it would work...say you could buy a small programmable hardware unit with jacks for exp pedals and jacks for adding footswitches or midi. Then you pay a subscription price enabling you to swap out 10 or so fx blocks as you wish from FAS library.
If you don't want access to library don't pay subscription price.
Personally I haven't changed my live rig fx chain for years...that model would work for me and probably many others.
As long as the price of the hardware unit was reasonable...course all of this may not be feasible for FAS...just a thought experiment.
 
ak301 said:
Agreed, but it would be nice to have something from Fractal the size of an Atomic AFB, even if it was just for backup

I keep an AFB2 in my gigbag for emergencies and used in in a rehearsal the other week and was so disappointed after just using my Fractals
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I’d be buying one myself… a FlyRig 5 is my current throwdown in case of the unspeakable happening. That’s a Cliff-dive down if I have to use it.

I’m not opposed to them making anything that fits their plan. Personally I‘d rather see them go the other way, and fit an Axe Fx III into an RJM GT22 sized box with 12-15 switches and the larger screens. That, I believe, would be a looooong waitlist item. But we’ll just have to wait and see what the geniuses up north come up with next!
 
RLD said:
That's not how it would work...say you could buy a small programmable hardware unit with jacks for exp pedals and jacks for adding footswitches or midi. Then you pay a subscription price enabling you to swap out 10 or so fx blocks as you wish from FAS library.
If you don't want access to library don't pay subscription price.
Personally I haven't changed my live rig fx chain for years...that model would work for me and probably many others.
As long as the price of the hardware unit was reasonable...course all of this may not be feasible for FAS...just a thought experiment.
Click to expand...
This sounds like the Eventide H9 vs H9 Max business model with extra steps.
 
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